In a moment of confusion, I ended up giving my cylcing tour guide in Ubud my email address (I was making plans for other trips and I thought he needed it to book a trip). Here's the email I got two days ago:
Hi Friend, can I sharing bad new to you.I loss my mother on August 27 2007 on 9.30 pm.She is very old, 79 years old. She is not sick, but the problem only old, with nine children and 23 grandchild's.On august 28 2007 we carried it to cemetery for buried and then on August 2008 will be cremation ceremony.Followed our rules in my village.Sorry I am late to tell you.I am sad and was crying but now I must return to work for my family and try to find more money for cremation ceremony.Thanks for your attention.Are you still in Bali, please reply...Best regard
W#####+family
How would you respond? Would you respond?
And Jenna, the circumstances are not anything like those in the book you gave me. Quite the opposite.
6 comments:
Beware of such tales!! You can come back and stick to your usual modes of charity.Mom.
cant beleive a new yorker falls for any line let alone one as heavy as that. Also what happened to travelling with food that could be given away as a donation rather than money so that Fagin cant get it
Vinod
i would reply
"no i bali in not. but i am prince of niger and if you give me bank account numbers will reimburse you with gold and myrrh. thanks for timeliness of response."
maybe i'm a pushover. but the man didn't directly ask you for money, right?
so. what's worse: you express sympathy and he responds with a direct request for $$$ (which you politely refuse -- or just ignore), OR you ignore his email and it turns out to be true???
i'd much rather be a pushover than a mean girl.
ooopsss..sorry, still haven't gotten the hang of this blogging thing. that was me ranting above!!! sorry!
anonymous jenna is a pushover.
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